I stillthink it’s ugly but the lighting in this photo is lovely.

Yeah, like it’s just this big wasteland of flat concrete. Waste of space IMO. Sometimes I like to image what Scollay square would be today if they didn’t tear everything down to put in… flat concrete and stairs.

The contrast between that utilitarian design* and the artsy nearby Christopher Columbus park doesn't help.

Edit: I apologize for not knowing the actual architectural term (brutalist, maybe? Not sure)

A dumpster would look good in that sun

It’s what’s on the inside that counts 👍

Someone, please tell me why this City Hall is built like a prison?!?! 😭

It’s what I miss most about Covid. I was able to get from Beacon Hill to Magoun Sq. via Storrow in under ten minutes during rush hour. God I miss that.

The stuff around it (like the weather) looks good. It's still ugly across the board.

No, it's just that people have no fuckin taste. Always admired that building.

The problem with brutalism is that it looks great on paper: exciting, dramatic, modern, stark, efficient and effective. Where it fails is in the real life placement.

While the architect might've drawn a beautiful building in the blueprints (it might even look great from a mile away if there weren't line of sight interruptions), it rarely considered that there will be ugly streets, and other human requirements as they work.

Hopefully the greenery additions to the plaza will help a little bit in making it more human.

I like to call Boston a toilet

Every time I walk by that building I think "A mental patient designed it".

Then I remember that the Department of Mental Health is in that building.

And I facepalm...

I actually really like brutalist architecture.

Was visiting colleges with my dad, and at UMass Amherst I commented that I liked the architecture, and he said, "What are you, a communist?!" jokingly.

That was my first exposure to the meaning and history of brutalist architecture.

You'd be amazed how much concrete can absorb the smell of urine over decades.

Architectural changes in the city have made it blend in more. I remember it from the early eighties. When it was 'opened' before it was finished; the building must have been strange compared to the architecture of the area outside the renewal district.

note: it opened before it was finished because Mayor Connelly wanted to move his office before the grand opening

Having the windows set in 4 inches from the exterior wall instead of being flush would fix 90% of 5/1 aesthetic problems. For some reasons builders insist on flush windows even when the rest of the waterproofing layer is 2-4 inches behind the exterior wall, which is insane from an engineering point of view.

Is the old Ford Taurus still there? Every time I passed that thing I thought of Robocop (which was filmed at Dallas City Hall).

I think one of the founders of brutalism architecture was quoted as saying the point of art is to be noticed. The building is meant to be transparent and Democratic in a way—the mayors office being clearly visible from the outside, for example. Personally I think it looks fine at night because the lighting and shadows help soften the appearance somewhat. That said, saying that art is meant to be noticed feels similar to a toddler acting out for attention—they may be noticed, but not necessarily for the best of reasons. I think the intention of the feeling they want to evoke in the view is just as important. The egalitarian/utilitarian/transparency that the architects championed is generally not the thing that comes to mind at first glance. Reading more about the buildings history has caused me to appreciate it more. That said, a city hall is a symbol just as much as it is a building. Reactions to Boston’s city hall generally run the lines of revulsion to disgust. It doesn’t evoke any sense of civic pride, and outside of certain niche circles, I truly don’t think many would miss it if it were torn down.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard_Library#/media/File%3ARobert_H._Goddard_Library%2C_Clark_University%2C_Worcester_Massachusetts.jpg

Idk man, I think I’d take city hall over this monstrosity lol

Does it though?

Looks like it belongs in a dystopian scifi future like judge Dredd or hunger games

Ah yes, Scollay Square. I remember it well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scollay_Square#/media/File:Boston_1888_Sampson_ScollaySquare_area.jpg

Sure the front is nice enough.

Shame the back looks like a lifer's prison.

> what do you people want?

I didn't say any of the things you just implied I said, so I don't really know how to answer this question.

Drink enough Sam Adams and anything looks handsome.